Saturday, October 20, 2007

Eavesdropping - Sometimes its for data

Hackers stole millions of credit card numbers from discount retailer TJX Cos. by intercepting wireless transfers of customer information at two Miami-area Marshalls stores, according to an eight-month investigation by the Canadian government.

The probe, led by Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, faulted TJX for failing to upgrade its data encryption system by the time the electronic eavesdropping began in July 2005. The break-in ultimately gave hackers undetected access to TJX's central databases for a year and a half, exposing at least 45 million credit and debit cards to potential fraud. (more)

Provoked thoughts...
• What wireless technologies is your company dependent upon?
• Are you sure your voice and data are secure from eavesdropping?
• Do you conduct searches for eavesdropping devices?
• How much damage would eavesdropping create before you noticed?